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I’m sorry I was late, but
the dam broke and I was
swimming upstream
in a torrent of words.

I’m sorry I was late, but
I discovered a poem
trapped in a pocket of light
and I had to rescue it.

I’m sorry I was late, but I
got impaled upon a pointy
thought shard
and it took some time
to remove it to the page.

I’m sorry I was late, but
I took a wrong turn and
got tangled
in a thicket of images.

I’m sorry I was late, but
I was herding
a cluster of
furry black poems
and you know
how long that takes
in the dark.

How did Evergreen help you in your career?

I was involved for two quarters in the group contract "Psychology, Literature and Dream Reflection". Writing in response to dreams really helped my poetry take off. The writing didn't really kick in fully however until 1996 or 1997 when mid-life hit me like a freight train and I began to write after a 25-year detour from creative pursuits. This led me to explore both Poetry Therapy and Expressive Art Therapy, as well as venturing into visual arts as a photographer and collage artist. I currently lead workshops on creativity and healing in retreat centers, prisons, schools, community programs and addiction treatment facilities. This has become my "real work" since my retirement from a school social work job after 26 years.

I think my Evergreen experience really helped me realize that I could publish my own work, and could forge my own path through the writing life as well as allowing me to see how to integrate creativity and healing into my social work career.